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HoopsAid put me on the map

WILSON JUMA has thanked Hoops Aid for putting his name on the map and helping his basketball career take off.

The 22-year-old point guard earned a place at the University of Maine Machias after starring in the Hoops Aid 2013 All-Star Game.Now he hopes similar exposure at Hoops Aid 2015 at the O2 Arena will help earn him a pro contract in the British Basketball League.

Juma, who was born in Zimbabwe but raised in the UK, said: “Hoops Aid set the stage for me. It got my name out there. I wouldn’t be where I am today without that exposure.

“I’m really excited about the plans for the 2015 event and to participate in it would be beautiful.

“I’ve enjoyed my time in the US but I want to come home and play pro basketball in the BBL now, so I’m hoping to impress some BBL coaches this time!”

Zuma came through the LEAP Academy in Walton-on-Thames before flying to the US to try and earn a place in the US college system.

But a summer of try-outs led to disappointment until he went for a workout at the IMPACT Academy in Florida in 2011.Zuma said: “The college coaches told me I didn’t have the skills yet for them but put me in touch with IMPACT. I went for a workout against their kids and they said: ‘Take his bags. He’s staying.’”A big hit in Florida, he averaged 16 points and 6 assists for IMPACT. But a broken ankle threw his career into doubt.

Zuma said: “That’s when Hoops Aid came along. I was just coming back from my injury and I needed to prove I could still play at an elite level.

“That’s what Hoops Aid did for me. I knew there were really important people watching the game. One of the coaches from Maine saw the footage and that’s how I ended up there.

“I’ve enjoyed it so much there. But I have the skills now and the basketball IQ to play professionally and I want to do that here. Basketball is growing now in the UK

“I’m over here training now. I go to scrimmages everywhere from Surrey to Brighton and people see me and say: ‘We remember you from Hoops Aid.’

“Some of the kids training with me now want to go to the US too and I’m just trying to help them. I only wish they could all play at Hoops Aid!”

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